Longtime Pacific Beach resident Bob Alcantara, 72, a mainstay at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center, passed away while on a camping trip at Yosemite National Park on May 25.

Alcantara was born in Brackenridge, Pa. and later moved to the West Coast, where he relocated to Napa before moving to San Diego in 1991.

He had been a stalwart at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center for the last two decades, serving on the Recreation Council and founding the Pee Wee sports program at the rec center in 1994.

“Bob was an institution in PB and became part of the whole PB culture,” said rec center co-worker Ruby Houck. “He was like an uncle to all the kids who participated in Pee Wee sports. They don’t know the rec center without Bob.”

Along with Houck’s late husband, Bernie, Alcantara was active in community events at the center, including the Easter egg hunt, Halloween carnival and Christmas events. Alcantara would dress up as Santa Claus for the community’s “Breakfast with Santa” event, served as a basketball coach and worked to put leagues together.

Alcantara began his time at the rec center as a volunteer in 1991 before he was hired full time a few years later.

“Even though we’re all employees at the recreation center, it felt like we were a family and as people moved on to other recreation centers, they would always come back for the special events,” Houck said. “Bob was not just our co-worker. He was our friend.”